What happens when people collaborate together toward a common goal? How much more can we accomplish together when we become aware of a need?
There is such beautiful collaboration that we see over and over again as our TFI Advocates bridge the gap between the needs of agencies and churches who want to make a difference. When a community comes together, needs can be met to help support local agencies, children in foster care, foster parents, and biological families. We recently saw this in action when volunteers rallied together to provide a totally renovated room for family visits at an agency in Montgomery County, AL.
Here’s the story:
Uncovering a Need
Through an existing connection that has formed, our TFI Advocate in Montgomery County, AL discovered that a local agency was in need of a renovation for their family visit rooms. Making a local church aware of the need, volunteers jumped at the chance to help! Coming with paint samples, they noticed futons that were not in good shape, a well-used toy shelf, and other items were in need of replacement as well.
This room is used for family visits between children and their parents, and it is also where children stay when they are awaiting placement. It’s not uncommon for a child to spend days or even weeks there.
Volunteers went into action to add items to an Amazon Wish List to totally renovate the room. This included items like a new futon, an air mattress, new toys, a shelf for those toys, decor items, and more.
A Community Rallied
This list went out to a local church and on the Montgomery, AL TFI Facebook page and the response was incredible! Not only did every item on the list get purchased, they were able to add even more items for individuals who wanted to join in supporting the foster care community.
Seeing the community response was beautiful, not just in providing items for the room, but also seeing the team that showed up to demo, paint, and install the curtains, furniture, and new toys.
Take a look at the final result here:
Families Supported and Children Cared For
The local agency shared that several families had already remarked on the impact the new visitation rooms have already had. A foster mom commented on how her foster son was able to play with toys while he waited for his biological family to arrive, which is often a nerve-wracking situation for him. And a biological mom said the renovation has impacted their visits in a positive way.
Stories just like this one are why the TFI Advocate role exists, and are possible as a result of trust and relationships. In this community, our TFI Advocate has worked to listen and learn to the needs of this agency and was able to work with church leaders to organize the gifts of the church body to meet a real, practical need.
In many ways, churches and agencies are an unlikely pair. But when people come together to collaborate and support the foster care community, amazing things happen! We get to see how supporting small day-to-day needs can lead to significant changes and a positive impact in the lives of families, parents, and children.
As you go through your week, consider what small but impactful ways you could serve the foster care community. It could be taking time to pray for the foster families in your church, offering to bring a family a meal, helping a single mother find a consistent way to get to work, or even purchasing an item off an Amazon Wish List to help provide a comfortable and safe space for visitations.
Ready to take the first step? Our TFI Advocates are all over the country working to connect churches and individuals to the needs within the foster care community. Find your local TFI Advocate here!
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